Super Kings rise above tide at Chepauk
CHENNAI: Chennai Super Kings had plenty stacked against them before the fixture against Rajasthan Royals on a Sunday afternoon. The stakes were way too high. After a topsy-turvy season, where they had won six matches and lost as many, their final league game at their home ground, “Fortress Chepauk,” was a must-win. They needed the two points to keep their hopes of making it to the playoffs for the second time in a row and stay alive. There were no other options.
If the pressure of a must-win game is not enough, the Super Kings had the shortest turnaround after their away match against Gujarat Titans. The team landed in Chennai on Saturday evening and had no opportunity to practice. On top of that, this was their first afternoon game of the season. With most of their first-choice players ruled out either due to national duties or injury concerns, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad had to rally his troops. If that wasn’t enough, Rajasthan’s decision to bat first meant, Chennai had to field in the scorching heat. The task was not going to be easy.
However, not having too much time after the hammering they received in Ahmedabad was the best thing that could have happened to Chennai. CSK batting coach Michael Hussey would admit as much after Sunday’s tie. They did not have the time to sulk or worry about all that is at stake. They had to turn up with a positive frame of mind and put out their best effort. And that is exactly what Chennai did. After an uneventful powerplay where neither side could make inroads, Gaikwad introduced Simarjeet Singh, who went for 60 runs in Ahmedabad. With his second ball of the match, the pacer broke the opening partnership between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler, dismissing the former. In his next over, the pacer ended Buttler’s struggling stay for 21. Other than Riyan Parag, none of the Rajasthan batters could get going against Chennai spinners, led by Ravindra Jadeja who gave away only 24 runs in four overs.
With a decent target of 142 on the slow Chennai pitch, chasing was always going to be difficult, especially against the world-class spinners like Yuzvendra Chahal and R Ashwin. A few early wickets and that small total would have definitely looked like a high mountain. That is where Rachin Ravindra came into the picture as Chennai had dropped the idea of opening with Ajinkya Rahane. While Gaikwad played the anchor role, just because his side could afford it today given the small total, Rachin went all guns blazing. A six against Sandeep Sharma, one of the most economical pacers of this season of IPL, felt like a statement. Rachin did not spare his fellow New Zealander, Trent Boult, too as CSK raced to 28/0 in three overs.
Even when Ravindra fell, Daryl Mitchell continued the same brand of cricket making most of the fielding restrictions and the opposition captain had no other option but to bring Chahal immediately after the powerplay. Chahal did his part. Rajasthan did send Shivam Dube back before he could take the game away from them. Even the first ‘obstructing the field’ dismissal of this season went against Chennai, but none of it could derail the result as Chennai sealed the deal with a five-wicket victory. “We wanted to put out a great positive performance for our fans (given) that it is our last home game unless we make the playoffs so you cannot fault the guy’s efforts today. It was very hot for the players, but we wanted to embrace that. I am proud of their attitude because the guys said we know it’s going to be hard but we want to give our 100% best efforts,” Hussey found the perfect words to describe the grit and grind of the five-time champions.
With this result, Chennai have kept their dream alive. And now the clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru next week stands between them and yet another play-offs.